Oil Change Method And Apparatus

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides several embodiments of an oil change apparatus that basically have a valve/fitting connected to the conventionally available oil sump, a drain bracket installed on a low portion of equipment or vehicle periphery, and a flow line that fluidly connects the valve/fitting and the drain bracket. The oil change apparatus enables vehicle users to quickly and easily drain oil at a safe and convenient location. The present invention also provides several reusable and disposable means to properly collect waste oil.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable

REFERENCE TO A “MICROFICHE APPENDIX”

Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates an apparatus for changing motor oil in an automobile or motor vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to an oil change apparatus that enables vehicle users to safely and conveniently drain the oil from an engine oil sump at the periphery of the vehicle, and to eliminate any chance for spillage.

2. General Background of the Invention

Many individuals prefer to change the oil themselves for a number of reasons. Motor oil can be purchased more cheaply at retail outlets when compared to the cost quoted by automobile dealers and/or quick oil change franchises. Vehicle users can save a round trip to service facilities and the waiting time to have the oil changed. Doing this task at home, users experience the often messy oil collection, the hard work in crawling position and the possible accident of being crushed under a vehicle. The present invention enables users to change the oil cleaner, faster and easier than professional services to smartly save money, labor and time.

Several systems have been patented that are directed to an apparatus for changing oil. The U.S. Pat. No. 4,977,978 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,379 disclose an oil change system that employs a flow line connected to the oil sump and a valve placed at the periphery of the vehicle sill; this apparatus suffers because the flow line is always filled with oil, hoses on automobiles can crack over time causing leakage, a bad leakage leads to an engine overheat; in addition, a swinging padlock is not a sophisticated image for mechanic design and general look of the vehicle. The U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,451 discloses an oil change system with a valve attached to the oil sump and a detachable hose; this apparatus offers an extremely difficult task because the distance between the ground and the vehicle door sill might be as low as five inches, not enough to easily take a look at where the sump outlet is; furthermore, users have to lie down on one side of the body and struggle to work on coupling and detaching the hose, this poor condition of work could accidentally cause a big mess.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention presents an oil change apparatus that provides a mechanic valve and/or an electronic valve which is screwed to the conventionally available sump outlet of the vehicle. A drain bracket with a built-in spigot is mounted to the underneath of the vehicle chassis at a peripheral seam or at a location that is easily and safely accessible to the user. A flow line fluidly connects the valve outlet to the drain bracket.

The mechanic valve has a spring-loaded valve plug which normally stays at the closed position. One end of a flexible metal cable is attached to the valve plug and the other end to the drain bracket. A manual cable actuator holds the valve in open position only to drain the oil when necessary; an alternative means to the metal cable and the manual cable actuator is the electromagnetic actuator. Compared to other inventions, the flow line in this invention always remains empty except when draining, thereby the vehicle does not have the risk of overheat because of a damaged flow line.

The electronic valve has a main valve member which rotates to the open position when draining and then rotates in the same direction to the normally closed position; this movement is electronically triggered by a push button. This is a highly convenience advantage over other inventions; there is no need of expensive electric pump to make the oil change slower and more complicated. Furthermore, different vehicles have different sump outlet thread and orientation, a provided adapter offers means to solve this problem. The present invention offers more advantage over others by providing methods to collect all the used oil into a reusable container or two kinds of disposable vessel.

While certain novel features of this invention shown and described below are pointed out in the annexed claims, the invention is not intended to be limited to the details specified, since a person of ordinary skill in the relevant art will understand that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the devices illustrated and in their operation may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms.

For a further understanding of the nature, objects, and advantages of the present invention, reference should be read in conjunction with the following detailed descriptions and drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a panoramic bottom view of the oil change apparatus without a valve;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the first location choice for the drain bracket;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the second location choice for the drain bracket;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the fitting;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the drain bracket with single vise bolt;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the hollow spigot-plug;

FIG. 7 is a panoramic perspective view of the drainage in operation;

FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 are respectively side views of the straight, angle and square adapters;

FIG. 11 is a panoramic bottom view of the oil change apparatus using the mechanic valve;

FIG. 12A is a sectional view of the mechanic valve shown in normally closed position, horizontally cut along the center line of the valve;

FIG. 12B is a vertical side view of the mechanic valve cap;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the mechanic valve shown in open position;

FIG. 14 is a top view of the drain bracket with double vise bolt, and the manual cable actuator in the ready position;

FIG. 15 shows the manual cable actuator in the draining position;

FIG. 16 is a panoramic bottom view of the oil change apparatus using the electronic valve;

FIG. 17 is an exploded perspective view of the electronic valve with the main valve member in open position;

FIG. 18 is the combination of a side view of the assembled electronic valve in open position and a pictorial diagram of the electronic valve;

FIG. 19A is a schematic diagram of the control board of the electronic valve;

FIG. 19B is a schematic diagram of the circuit board of the electromagnetic actuator;

FIGS. 20 and 21 are sectional bottom views of the electronic valve, cut along the line A-B of FIG. 18, respectively shown in the normally closed and open positions;

FIG. 22 is the combination of a sectional view of the mechanic valve shown in normally closed position, a partially cutaway side view of the electromagnetic actuator and its pictorial diagram;

FIG. 23A is a cross section view of a fastening section if the hose or cable is somewhat parallel to an existing part of the vehicle;

FIG. 23B is a perspective view of a fastening section if the hose or cable crosses an existing part of the vehicle;

FIGS. 24A and 24B are respectively perspective views of a reusable oil collection kit and a disposable container;

FIGS. 25A and 25B are respectively perspective views of an oil collection means and a full disposable liner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Detailed descriptions of one or more preferred embodiments are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in any appropriate system, structure or manner.

The bottom views of FIGS. 1, 11 and 16 show the panorama of three similar oil change apparatuses: a non-valve, a mechanic valve and an electronic valve. The oil change apparatus is provided for changing oil of all kinds of engine with internal combustion, the non-valve is the cheapest and more suitable for landscaping and farming equipment, the mechanic or electronic valve apparatus is for motor vehicle 70 such as an automobile.

FIG. 1 shows the bottom view of an automobile which has a plurality of wheels 15 and a chassis 14. The chassis seam 19 is typically a metal strip under the door(s) sill 20; it is the lower end portion of the chassis 14 horizontally extending between the front wheel well 30 and the rear one.

The non-valve oil change apparatus comprises three parts:—a fitting 18 taking place of the conventionally available outlet plug 253 of the oil sump 10,

-   -   a drain bracket 13 mounted to chassis seam 19,     -   and a hose 12 connects the fitting 18 to the drain bracket 13.

FIG. 2 shows the lower driver's side of a vehicle where the drain bracket 13 can be mounted anywhere along the chassis seam 19.

FIG. 3 shows another location to mount the drain bracket 13; it is the lower end of the front wheel well. FIGS. 2 and 3 show the easiest places for mounting the drain bracket 13, a little farther in the vehicle underneath, along the side and in the rear area of the vehicle, there are more places to install the drain bracket.

Referring to FIG. 4, at the sump outlet 40 of the automobile, taking place of the conventionally available plug, the fitting 18 is a straight metal tube, one end is externally threaded to fit the existing sump outlet 40, the other end fits the inner diameter of the hose 12. This fitting 18 is intended to be used without a valve 80, an adapter 90 takes its place if using a valve. A clamp 41 tightens the hose 12 to the fitting outlet. The other end of the hose 12 is tightened to the inlet of the drain bracket 13 shown in FIG. 5. The drain bracket 13 consists of two metal plates, the outer plate 53 and the inner plate 54 where the spigot 21 is molded to. On top of the metal plates, the grip ridges 55 are intended to strengthen the vise. The vise-bolt 51 mounts the two plates 53 and 54 to the chassis seam 19, the multi-layer shim 52 should have the same thickness as the chassis ridge 19 to parallel-balance the vise.

FIG. 6 illustrates a hollow spigot-plug 60 which can take place of the spigot-plug 50 to maximize the distance between the spigot 21 and the road surface. The hexagon wrench 61 is used to loosen and/or tighten the plug 60.

FIG. 7 shows the user 71 who safely and easily drains the oil into a collection container 247 without any messy spillage; it's not a good option to work hardly and unsafely in a small space under a jacked or ramp-elevated vehicle just to drain the oil.

Turning to FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, conventionally available sump outlets have various kinds of thread and angle so one of the three adapters is used to horizontally orient the oil change apparatus; adapters 90 are metal tubes, one end is externally threaded to fit the sump outlet 40 and the other end is internally and universally threaded to fit the valve 80 (mechanic or electronic). Consequently, the distance between the apparatus and the road surface is maximized, and different vehicles can use the same universal valve.

FIG. 11 shows the panorama of the oil change apparatus using the mechanic valve 111. In FIGS. 11-15, a metal cable 112, composed of the inner cable 130 and the outer cable 131 (like the conventionally available bike brake cable), is provided for opening and closing the valve 111; one end of the inner cable 130 is connected to the drain bracket 13 and the other end is attached to the valve plug 135 biased towards the valve seat 136 by the spring 122.

In the normally closed position of FIG. 12A, the valve plug 135 engages the valve seat 136 thereby no oil can exit from the adapter 90. The hose 12, fastened by clamp 41, fluidly connects the valve outlet to the drain bracket 13.

FIGS. 14 and 15 show the manual cable actuator 143 respectively in ready and draining positions. The manual cable actuator 143 is a detachable tool composed of:

1) A flat bar with a V-shaped prying tip 140 on one end and a handle 142 on the other end. 2) A movable stick with a V-shaped metal jam plate 141 on one end and a little hinge on the other end which is welded to the flat bar.

After the prying tip is used to pull the cable tip-lock 150, the jam plate 141 is snapped in to keep the valve plug 135 in open position (FIG. 13).

The single-bolt drain bracket (FIG. 5) and the double-bolt bracket (FIG. 14) are interchangeable for three embodiments of oil change apparatus.

In the open position of FIG. 13 for draining with the manual cable actuator 143 in place (FIG. 15), the pulled inner cable 130 compresses the spring 122 towards the valve cap 132 a, and this action pulls the valve plug 135 away from the valve seat 136 to open the valve 111. The oil flow direction 11 is from the oil sump 10, through the adapter 90 and the open valve towards the spigot 21 via the hose 12.

FIG. 16 shows the oil drain apparatus using an electronic valve 160. One end of the electric cable 161, composed of three to four wires (the chassis can be used as a ground wire), is connected to the electronic valve 160. The other end is connected to the control board 162 which can be installed somewhere in the vehicle, neither necessarily close to hot engine parts nor exposed to rain water or street water.

In FIGS. 17 and 18, the valve body 188 has an externally threaded inlet to be connected to the adapter 90; it also has a tubular outlet 179 with grip rings 144 intended to strengthen the hose attachment. The main valve member 173 is built with:

1) The upper part: a cylindrical section 175 which rotates stably in the cylindrical cavity 178. 2) The lower part: a concave section 176 which normally closes the valve and opens it when draining 3) The top center part: a valve stem 174 to be connected to the shaft of the electronic motor 170 together with the ring switch 172.

Two fasteners 125 are provided to assemble the valve cap 132 b and the gasket 124 c with two internally threaded fasteners 200 while securing the main valve member 173 inside the cylindrical cavity 178. Two mounting slots 171 are used to mount the motor 170 to the motor mounting bars 177.

In FIG. 18, the LED 184, the beeper 185, the push button 183 and the fuse 181 can be placed apart from the control board 162 (dual circuit) at suitable location and with proper wiring (see diagrams), the electronic regulator 182 should be on the control board.

The power from the conventionally available vehicle battery 180 supplies a nominal 12 volt direct current; the details of electronic experiment performed accordingly to the schematic diagram of FIG. 19A are hereafter:

-   -   time width: t=1.1×R₁×C₁=1.1×0.233MΩ×3.3 μF=0.77 second,     -   t is the time that the motor takes to rotate 180°;     -   experimented values (R₁ and R₂ are two potentiometers):         R₁=0.233 MΩ R₂=390 kΩ R₃=220 kΩ R₄=82Ω

C₁=3.3 μF C₂=10 μF

the value of R₄ and optional R₅ depends respectively on the kind of motor and beeper.

The control circuit on the left of FIG. 19A is programmed by the resistor R₁ and the capacitor C₁ to energize the motor 170 to start and stop rotating at pre-determined positions, this circuit is based on the accurate timing of the left timer 190 and its electronic network to power the motor; the start is triggered by pressing the push button 183 and the stop automatically occurs when the RC timing is out. The alert circuit on the right of FIG. 19A is a self-triggered circuit which is performed by the right timer 190, the resistors R₂ & R₃, and the capacitor C₂.

When the main valve member 173 reaches and stays at the open position (FIG. 21), the ring switch 172 closes the alert circuit to turn on the blinking LED 184 and the intermittent beeper 185. When the main valve member 173 leaves the open position to reach and stay at the normally closed position (FIG. 20), the ring switch disconnects the alert circuit. There is no manual control for the alert circuit, it's totally automatic.

The control circuit rotates the concave section 176 a half round (180°) by the first button push which changes the position from normally closed to open, the second button push rotates the concave section 176, in the same direction, which moves exactly the other half round to the normally closed position. The concave section always spins in the counter-clockwise direction, it moves twice to form a closed circle (360°) for one-time draining, it does not spin in one direction and then spin in the opposite direction to get back to the normally closed position.

The bottom view of FIG. 20 describes the concave section 176 blocking the communication of adapter 90 and hose 12; after being energized to open the valve, the concave section 176 on FIG. 21 allows the waste oil to flow from oil sump 10 to hose 12 via adapter 90.

Turning to FIG. 22, instead of the manual cable actuator, the mechanic valve 111 can be operated by the electromagnetic actuator which comprises a relay 192 and an actuating lever 223. The relay is an electric coil 222 reeled around an iron core 224. When the on/off switch 220 is closed, the vehicle battery energizes the relay, creates a magnetic field to pull the actuating lever 223, consequently the valve opens for draining; simultaneously, the alert circuit 221 (timing circuit related to the schematic diagram of FIG. 19B) turns on the blinking LED 184 and the intermittent beeper 185. Both of the alert circuit and the relay should be turned off by the switch 220 as soon as the oil is all drained out, the spring always urges the valve to normally closed position.

In FIGS. 23A and 23B, the hose or cable 232 must be secured to existing parts 231 a or 231 b of the vehicle underneath by clamp 41. Sandwiched between the hose and the vehicle part, the insulation 233 a or 233 b is meant to prevent possibly burnt hose. The anti-kink tube 230 protects the hose or cable 232 from being choked or damaged when clamped.

In FIG. 24A, the reusable container 247 has an opening 244 with cap 241 a, an air inlet and outlet 245 with cap 241 b, and a handle 246. The waste oil flows from the spigot 21, through a threaded coupler 240, a flexible and transparent tube 242 (held inside the opening 244 by the holding clip 243) and into the reusable container 247. Discharged oil from the spigot is highly visible through the transparent tube and at the peripheral location of the vehicle so users can close the valve as soon as the waste oil is all drained out. The oil is collected in a proper workmanlike manner, ready to be brought to a recycling facility.

In FIG. 24B, with the same threaded coupler 240, flexible tube 242 and holding clip 243 as shown in FIG. 24A, the carrying strings 251 are portable means for users. The disposable container 248 can be made by cheap material such as paraffin wax paperboard.

FIG. 25A demonstrates the waste oil gushing out from the sump outlet 40, the oil jet gradually changes its course; this fact always causes a mess. A widely opened cardboard box 250, lined with a liner 252 such as a garbage bag, offers a better solution than any conventionally available containers in stores.

FIG. 25B shows the liner 252 filled with used oil, the top portion of the liner can be tightly self-knotted, cheap carrying strings 251 made the combination of liner and box easily movable to be disposed at an oil collection facility. This method can be performed whether or not the vehicle is equipped with the oil drain apparatus.

The foregoing description conveys the best understanding of the objectives and advantages of the present invention. Different embodiments may be made of the inventive concept of this invention. It is to be understood that all matter disclosed herein is to be interpreted merely as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

Part number Description  10 sump/oil sump  11 oil flow direction  12 flow line/hose  13 drain bracket  14 chassis  15 wheel/tire  16 front of vehicle  17 rear of vehicle  18 fitting  19 chassis seam  20 sill/door sill  21 spigot/built-in spigot  30 wheel well  40 sump outlet  41 clamp (having various styles and tightening diameters)  42 anti-leak washer  50 spigot plug  51 vise bolt  52 multi-layer shim  53 outer plate  54 inner plate  55 grip ridge  60 hollow hexagon spigot-plug  61 wrench (hexagon tip style)  70 vehicle  71 user  80 valve (mechanic or electronic)  90 adapter 100 threaded connection 111 mechanic valve/spring-loaded mechanic valve 112 flexible metal cable 120 opening for fastener 121 opening for inner cable 130 122 spring 123 tubular tip 124a, 124b and 124c gasket/rubber O ring 125 fastener 130 inner cable 131 outer cable 132a and 132b valve cap 133 gasket holder/washer 134 cable tip 135 valve plug 136 valve seat 140 prying tip 141 jam plate 142 handle 143 manual cable actuator 144 grip ring 150 cable tip lock 160 electronic valve 161 electric cable 162 electronic control board (dual timing circuit) 170 motor (DCM-702 motor) 171 mounting slot 172 ring switch 173 main valve member 174 valve stem 175 cylindrical section 176 concave section 177 motor mounting bar 178 cylindrical cavity 179 outlet/valve outlet 180 vehicle battery (conventionally available) 181 fuse 182 electronic regulator 183 push button/trigger 184 LED (light emitting diode)/blinking LED 185 beeper/intermittent beeper 186 wire/print circuit line 187 wire holder 188 valve body 190 LM 555 timer 191 2N3904 transistor 192 relay 200 internally threaded fastener 220 on/off switch 221 alert circuit of FIG. 19B 222 electric coil 223 actuating lever 224 iron core 230 anti-kink tube 231a and 231b existing part of vehicle 232 hose or cable 233a and 233b insulation 240 threaded coupler 241a and 241b cap 242 flexible and transparent tube 243 plastic holding clip 244 container opening 245 air inlet and outlet (optional) 246 handle/container handle 247 container/reusable container 248 disposable container 250 receptacle/cardboard box 251 carrying string 252 liner/plastic bag 253 conventionally available outlet plug

All measurements disclosed herein are at standard temperature and pressure, at sea level on Earth, unless indicated otherwise. All used materials are biocompatible.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of methods differing from the type described above. Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention set forth in the appended claims. 

I claim:
 1. An oil change apparatus for use in a motor vehicle having a conventionally available sump outlet, comprising: (a) a valve with its inlet attached to the sump outlet, said valve having a valve outlet, (b) a drain bracket mounted to a peripheral portion of the vehicle, (c) a flow line that fluidly connects said valve outlet and said drain bracket, whereby the apparatus enables easy access and safe task of oil change.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein an adapter, sandwiched between the sump outlet and the valve, enables various vehicles to use the same universal valve, and wherein different angle of said adapter horizontally orients the apparatus.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the valve is a spring-loaded mechanic valve having a valve plug able to slide to close/open the valve.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein a metal cable mechanically connect said valve plug and a cable tip lock which is installed on the drain bracket.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 further including a manual cable actuator intended to pull and hold out the cable tip lock to open the mechanic valve only for draining.
 6. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the valve is an electronic valve having a main valve member to close/open said electronic valve.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6 further including a valve stem, a motor, and a ring switch; these three elements are interconnected.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7 further including an electronic control board powered by a conventionally available vehicle battery.
 9. The electronic control board of claim 8 wherein said electronic control board provides two independent circuits: (a) a control circuit, wherein a push button triggers said control circuit to rotate the main valve member to closed/open position; (b) a self-triggered alert circuit, wherein a blinking light emitting diode and an intermittent beeper are turned on only when the valve stem is on open position.
 10. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein an electromagnetic actuator is contiguously coupled with the mechanic valve.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein an on/off switch supplies power from the vehicle battery to the electromagnetic actuator and the alert circuit, and wherein said on/off switch simultaneously activates the alert circuit and the electromagnetic actuator which magnetizes an actuating lever to open the mechanic valve only when draining.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a fitting is mechanically installed in place of the valve, whereby the apparatus gets simpler and more suitable to be used on engines with internal combustion other than motor vehicles.
 13. A method of properly collecting waste oil for vehicles equipped with the oil change apparatus: providing a threaded coupler and a flexible tube that enable oil to flow from the drain bracket into a reusable/disposable container.
 14. A method of collecting waste oil for engine with internal combustion not equipped with the oil change apparatus: providing a cardboard box and a liner to contain waste oil; said cardboard box has a plurality of strings for conveniently portable means.
 15. The invention as substantially disclosed and described. 